The French Caribbean island south of Dominica is one of the most developed countries in the Caribbean, with world-class European-standard infrastructure, high-level gastronomy and beautiful stretches of sand.

The town of Saint Pierre, with the imposing and beautiful Mont Pelee volcano in the background.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s the de facto Caribbean capital of rum, with 11 distilleries on an island of less than 400,000 people that’s created the Route des Rhums, the Bordeaux of rum.

A sugar cane field at the Depaz plantation in Martinique.

But Martinique is a host of destinations in one island, from the vibrant urban hub of Fort-de-France to the town of Saint Pierre, the site of a massive volcano eruption in 1902 that has turned it into the Pompeii of the Caribbean.

In other words, it’s one of the Caribbean’s great destinations still largely undiscovered by US travelers.

And it’s never been cheaper to get there.

Heading to Guadeloupe? The island on the northern side of Dominica is a raw, lush archipelago perfect for island-hopping getaways (and with some great rum destinations of its own like Marie-Galante).